Self-threading shuttle eye



y 1942-, H. E. GOFE SELF-THREADING SHUTTLE-EYE Filed March 25, 1941Patented May 5, 1942 'unirisko sures mm ot rics "SELF-THREADING SHUTTLEEYE Harold E. 'Gofl, Millbury, Mass., assignor to Watson williamsManufacturing Company, Milibury, Mass, a corporation of MassachusettsApplication March 25, 1941, Serial No. 385,122

4 Claims.

This invention relates to self-threading shuttles as used in automaticweft replenishing looms.

It is the general object of my present invention to provide an improvedself -threading shuttle eye which may be easily and economicallymanufactured and which will be effective and reliable in operation.

To the attainment of this general object, I provide a shuttle eye havinga thread-guiding and retaining member positioned in the longitudinalthread passage of the thread block and formed as a separate elementwhich is retained in assembled relation with the thread block by animproved and novel coaction between said member and block.

More specifically, the thread guiding and retaining member in myimproved shuttle eye is shaped to enclose one side wall of thelongitudinal thread passage in the thread block, and to firmly clampitself to said block by resilient engagement therewith.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of partswhich will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which Fig.1 is a partial plan view of a shuttle embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation of said shuttle;

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the shuttle eye, looking in the direction ofthe arrow 3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the thread-guiding and retaining member,looking in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 3;,

Fig. 5 is a rear View of said member, looking in the direction of thearrow 5 in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing a slightly modifiedconstruction.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown a portion of a shuttle S having aself-threading shuttle eye Y mounted near the forward end thereof. Theeye Y is in general of a more or less common type and comprises a threadblock B having a longitudinal thread passage l0 enclosed by side walls Hand I2 and also having a pin and a depending hook or lug l6 defining aside delivery outlet IT.

My improved thread guiding and retaining member 2i! is mounted in thelongitudinal thread passage l8 and is preferably formed in one piecefrom resilient sheet steel or from other resilient sheet metal.

The member comprises an upright portion H, an operative portion 22, anda bottom flange 23. The operating portion 22 extends downward andforward in the thread passage I0 but is spaced therefrom to provide athread-guiding slot or opening 25, through which the thread enters thelongitudinal thread passage Ill during the threading operation. Ifdesired, the portion 22 may be extended further forward to perform ausual loop-casting function, as shown at 22 in Fig. 6.

When the member 26 is assembled with the thread block B, the partsassume the coacting relation shown in Fig. 3, with the upright portion2| abutting the outer face of the side wall [2, with the operativeportion 22 overlying and engaging the upper edge of the side wall l2,and with the flange 23 underlying and engaging the bottom face of theblock B.

The parts 22 and 23 are so spaced that the flange 23 snugly grips thebottom surface of the block B when assembled therewith. The parts arethus securely held in clamped relation and when the shuttle eye Y isassembled in the shuttle body S, lateral separation of the parts is alsoprevented.

The parts are further secured together by the usual shuttle screw 40which extends through the body of the shuttle S and through an opening4| in the threading block B and also through an opening 42 in theguiding and retaining member 20.

My improved thread guiding and retaining member is thus firmly andaccurately held in assembled relation by the simple resilient coactionof the member 29 with the block B and without the necessity of slottingthe block B or performing any other special machine operation thereon.

Manufacture of my improved shuttle eye is thus simplified and, moreover,the thread passage ID will have continuous side wall surfaces which maybe highly polished before the member 20 is assembled with the block Band which will have no slit or opening which might easily catch thethread and cause breakage thereof.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. In a loom shuttle, a shuttle-eye comprising a thread block having alongitudinal thread passage therethrough having a side wall, and athread-guiding and retaining member mounted on said block and having aportion extending into said thread passage and having another portionembracing said side wall of said thread passage and extending downwardalong the outer face of said wall and securely held in clamped relationthereto.

2. In a loom shuttle, a shuttle-eye comprising a thread block having alongitudinal thread passage therethrough having a side wall, and athread-guiding and retaining member mounted on said block and having aportion extending into said thread passage and having another por tionembracing said side wall of said passage and extending downward alongthe outer face of said Wall, said member being made of resilient sheetmetal and being firmly clamped to said thread block by the inherentresilience of said metal.

3. In a loom shuttle having a shuttle-eye comprising a thread block witha longitudinal thread passage therethrough having a. side wall and aguiding and retaining member operative in said passage, that improvementwhich consists in forming said member of resilient sheet metal and ofsuch configuration that said member embraces said side wall of saidthread passage and extends downward along the outer face of said walland is clamped to said thread block by the inherent resilience of saidmember.

4. In a loom shuttle having a shuttle-eye comprising a thread block witha longitudinal thread passage therethrough having a side wall and aguiding and retaining member operative in said passage, that improvementwhich consists in forming said member of resilient sheet metal, with aportion extending over said side wall of said thread passage and aportion extending downward outside of said wall and with an inwardlyoffset flange extending under said thread block and by which said memberand block are clamped in assembled relation.

HAROLD E. GOFF.

